Pipe flanging machine



June 11, 1935. w. B. CROCKETT PIPE FLANGING MACHi NE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Sept. 15, 1933 I m /AM 8. Cpacktrv:

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June 11, 1935. w. B. CROCKETT- 2,004,313

PIPE FLANGING MACHINE Filed Sept. 13, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I VllYYE/VTOP. ll WILL/AM 5.0000/(51'7: By 7 M June 11, 1935. w. B.CROCKETT I 2,004,313

PIPE FLANGING MACHINE Filed Sept. 13, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheei; 3

Patented June 11, 1935 UNITED STATES PIPEFLANGING mom William BarnesCrockett, Dame tie Grace, Quebec, Canada Application September 13, 1933,Serial is. 689,333 l 4 Claims.

This invention relates to pipe flanging .ma-

chines, and an object of the invention is to provide a machine forforming any required flange formation on piping, in a quick andeificientman--.

ner. A further object of the invention isito provide a machine of thischaracter which in flanging will eliminate severe or undue straininjurious toa flanged product. A further object of the invention is toprovide a machine of this character including a movable flange formingmember and cooperating holding chuck for securing the piping, with theprovision of means for applying the flange forming memher to the tubeunder a heavy pressure. l

A still further object of the invention is to provide for aplurality ofdifferent flange forming members, and a simple means of mounting saidmembers for ready removaland replacement.

A still further object of the invention is to'provide quick andeificientmeansfor operatingslidable parts of the structure.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consistsessentiallyin the novelconstruc- 1 tion. and arrangement of parts as described inthe following specification and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. v i Referring to the drawings: r r Figure 1 illustrates a sideelevation of the machine. r Figure 2 indicates an end elevation ofFigure 1 as seen from the directional arrow Figure 3 is an enlargedfragmentary longitudinal section taken throughthe upper part ofthemachine, illustrating the drive, the mounting of the flange formingmember and the pipe holding chuck. 1

Figure 4: is a section on the line 4-4 ofaFig-.

ure 3. r Figure 5 is an enlarged detail'elevation of the hand wheel andshaft for moving the forming member towards and away from the chuck.

Figure 6 is an enlarged section taken. through the hand wheel showingthe cam slot for actuating the clutch also the clutch and the rollermounted on the clutch projecting into the cam slot. Figure 7 is anenlarged plan view of the face of the clutch. 1

Figure 8 is a plan View of the pipe gauge body which is fitted on thechuck.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the pipe gauge assembly showing theblades mounted in position. Figure 10 is an enlarged sectional detail ofthe 1 head. carrying the flange forming member ein-y ((31.153-81) V vployed .in thecsecond flanging operation and illustrating the pipe. heldin the, chuck grips in the process of being flanged, and.

:Figurell is a:view similar to Figure 10 showing the third flangeformingmember finishing the flanging of .the pipe. a

Figure 12 islan enlarged fragmentary view of one end of the gauge bladesshowing the cut out portion witha portion of a pipe illustrated indotted lines projecting into the cut out portion. m

. Referring more particularly to thedrawings, A indicatesthe. flangeforming machine as a whole including theirame Ill which is mounted onsuitable legs H and'carrying a suitable motor. [2. The framework alsoincludes casing IS-enclosing the drive puleys and belting. In the upperpart of the frame; main shaft or drive spindle i4 is mounted, thisspindle constituting a slidable member, as hereinafter referredto. Thespindle is of reduced. cross section at its rearward end and enlargedas. at 15 at its opposite end.

Drive pulley I6 is designed to rotate the spindle I4, the pulley beingmounted on the spindle by means. of the hub structure 11, thespindlebeing the driving connection with the pulley by means of the splinedkeysI8, while. the extended end of the hub 11 formsa bearing for the reducedportionof the spinde in .the framework. The enlarged portion [Set thespindle iscarried in a sliding bush or hearing I9 which is heldbetweenthe flanged end and the rings 2! onthe enlargedportion 15 of theshaft, aball race 22 being provided between theflanged end of, the spindle andthe sliding bush. The bearing bush is mounted ina channel formed in theupper part of the framework withwhich it slidablyfits.

In .order to move. the spindle longitudinally, a rack 23is mounted onthe lower side of the sliding bush 19 which is designed to engage with apinion 24 mounted on the transverse shaft 25. (see Figs. 3 and 5particularly). The shaft 25 is designed to be rotated through the handwheel 26 for moving the spindle longitudinally in either direction andin addition is fitted with a worm wheel 2'! designed to be placed indriving connection with the shaft through suitable clutch mechanismhereinafter referred to. The wormwheel 2! is operated through a suitableworm 28 carried on the shaft 29 which is rotatedby a second hand wheel30,- the purpose of whichwill be hereinafter described.

On the enlarged end of the spindle l5 beyond the flange Zllis mounted ahead 3| designed to be screwed to the spindle, the head being internallythreaded as at 32. The outer end of the head is bored at an angle,eccentric with the axis of the spindle I4. Within this bore is forced aball bearing race 33, the race being designed to carry the shank 34 ofthe flange forming member 35 in an easy fit so that it may be readilyremoved. On the bed of the machine frame beyond the enlarged end of thespindle [4, a chuck body 36 is mounted. This includes the chuck coverplate 31 operated by suitable means to be described, and passing throughslots 38 in the cover plate 31 (see Fig. 4) are the sliding jaws 39carrying on their inner ends the grips 40, three of these jawspreferably being provided as shown, arranged to be brought intoengagement with a pipe 4| to be flanged.

The mounting of the jaws in the chuck and the arrangement of the chuckis such that the pipe will be positioned with its longitudinal axis indirect alignment with the axis of the spindle 14, as shown particularlyin Figure 3. Thus, when the pipe is gripped and the flanging head isbrought into engagement with the end of the pipe to be flanged, throughthe sliding movement of the shaft M, as shown in Figure 3, due to thefact that the flange forming member is placed at an angle in the head32, a portion only of its forming surface will engage the pipe, andtherefore when the shaft or spindle I4 is rotated the forming surface ofthe flange forming member will gradually engage with the edge of thepipe until it has engage-d the entire circumference thereof, so that theflange may be formed gradually in a natural manner which will eliminateany strain injurious to a flanged product. This is a salient feature ofthe invention.

Mounted within the chuck body 36 between the body and the cover plate31, is a cam ring 42. This cam ring is adapted to extend through theslots 43 in the jaws 38, (see Fig. 3). The cam ring at a pointcoinciding with the positioning of the jaws 35 is provided with the camslots 44 of a character to be described, and extending through the jaws38. Traversing the slots 43 and the cam slots 44 of the cam ring 42, arepins 45 carrying the rollers 46 (see Fig. 3), the rollers being of adiameter to coincide with the size of the cam slots 44, thus upon rotarymovement of the cam ring in either direction, the jaws will be movedradially towards or away from the pipe positioned in the chuck to engageor disengage the grips 40.

Control of the cam ring 42 is effected by the arm 41 which extendsinto'a slot of the cam ring and projects through a recess 48 in thechuck body terminating in a slotted head 49. The head 49 connects with alink 50 by means of a pin 5| which extends into the slot of the head,the link being connected by means of the crank pin 5|" to an operatingshaft 52 which carries a hand lever 53. Thus through the hand lever, theshaft 52 may be rotated one half revolution and upon rotation of theshaft 52 in either direction the arm 41 is'pulled upwardly or downwardlyto rotate the ring 42 in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. In thehead 49 an adjusting screw 54 is provided for the adjustment of pressureon the grips of the sliding jaws.

The cam slots 44 in the cam ring 42 are of two pitches, as clearly shownin Figure 4. The quick pitch part of the cam is required foraccelerating or rapidly moving the jaws towards and away from the pipeand provides for opening the jaws fairly wide so that the flanged partof the pipe may pass without impedance from between the jaws. When thehand lever 53 has been moved to turn the cam ring in a clockwisedirection, the jaws 38 are moved radially inward so that the gripscarried thereby grip a pipe inserted in the chuck, at which point therollers have reached a position as shown in Figure 4 having passedthrough the high pitched portion of the cam slot. Further movement willcause the low pitched portion of the cam slot to engage with therollers. This low pitched portion of the cam slots is used in thegripping action on the pipe and as the crank pin 5| on shaft 52 justpasses over the centre, it locks itself and the rollers have just passedinto the low pitched portion of the cam slots, so that a very powerfulgrip on the pipe is obtained and the grip members and sliding jaws arelocked in this position. Thus the low pitched portion of the cam slotsin combination with the toggle operating connections of the cam ringsprovide for the exertion of a sufficiently heavy pressure required tohold the pipe for the flanging operation.

The grips 49 of the sliding jaws 38 are constructed so that they may beremoved readily and applied quickly. This is provided for by forming thejaws and grips with mating portions, as illustrated at 55 in Figure 3,and through the provision of a spring and ball member or the like whichmay be mounted in the jaw, the grip may be securely fastened. In thisway it is only necessary to exert a slight pressure to slide the gripsfrom contact with the jaws or to similarly slide them into engagement.

On the cover plate 31 of the chuck, a pipe gauge 56 is mounted. Thispipe gauge is provided to enable the operator when flanging a pipe toplace the right length of pipe beyond the nose of the pipe grips 49. Thegauge is made up i of a gauge body 51 which is provided with a pluralityof radial grooves 58 which are designed to run towards the longitudinalaxial centre of the chuck. These slots are designed to receive a numberof gauging blades 59 illustrated in Figure 9. The blades, when placed inthe grooves 58, are tensioned by the spring members 55 which will bearagainst the side of the blades, the latter being held in the grooves ofthe gauge body by means of a pin 6|, which passes through the body ofthe gauge traversing the slots 58 as well as traversing longitudinalslots 62 formed in the blades. Thus, while the slot in the bladespermits longitudinal movement of the blades in the grooves 58 of thegauge body, the pin 6| prevents the inadvertent removal of the bladesfrom the gauge body. At the same time pin 6!, engaging with one end ofthe slot 62 in the blades, 'will locate the blades in uniformarrangement when withdrawn from projected position after use. The endsof the blades as shown in Figure 9 are formed with a cut-out portion 63,the cut-out portion in each blade varying as to length and depth so thatwhen any blade is moved radially in the slots 58 to project the endcarrying the cut-out portion beyond the end of the gauge body and intothe path of a pipe being projected through the centre of the chuck, theend of the to give the desired flange. The end of the blades areprovided with a projection 64 which is preffantasia erably made ofbrassan'd 'isfonnefl wi'mra bevelled surface65 designed to be stampedwiththe size of the pipe that theblade is used for. In

this way a simple arrangement is provided so that accuracy in theflangingoperation is assured at all times. i i .J The sliding spindle,as :pr'eviously'stated, .is

operated towards and away fromthei chuck by means of thehandwheeli'lfi." This provides for ordinary longitudinal movement, but inthe case where the flange-forming member has been moved to a pointadjacent to the end of the pipe to be flanged, it is necessary to applyconsiderable pressure for the flanging operation. This is effectedthrough the hand wheel 30. The hand wheel 26 is provided with the collar66 which is provided with a cam slot 61 in which the roller 68 isdesigned to operate. The roller 68 projects from a clutch member 69 (seeFig. 6) which is designed to engage with the worm wheel 21 to place itindirect engagement with the shaft 25.

As shown in Figures and 6, the slot 61 is of V shaped formation and whenthe roller 68 is positioned centrally of this slot, as shown, the clutchis in engagement with the worm wheel 21, thus placing it in drivingengagement with the shaft. Consequently by rotating hand wheel 30, theshaft 25 may be rotated with great pressure through the medium of theworm 28 and worm wheel 21. This provides suificient flange-formingpressure between the flange-forming member 35 and the end of the pipe.When, however, the flange-forming member is being disengaged from thepipe and being brought into proximity with the end of the pipe, the handwheel 26 is employed and when this is rotated in either direction theroller 68 will be moved by the slot 67,

thus withdrawing the clutch 69 from engagement with the Worm wheel 27and rendering the hand wheel 35 and associated mehanism inoperative. Inthis way means is provided for quickly moving the spindle l4 andcarrying flange-forming member towards and away from the chuck, theaction comparing with the operation of the cam ring in the chuck formoving the jaws towards and away from the pipe.

In the present instance the hand wheel 35 and the low pitch portion ofthe cam slots 44 in the chuck mechanism serve as the power members forapplying the flange-forming member and the gripping membersrespectively. On referring to Figures 3, and 11 it will be noted thatthe flange-forming is done in three operations. first operationinvolves. a forming member having a conoidal contour providing theflangeforming surface which flanges the pipe preliminarily. The secondmember presents a flat surface to the preliminarily flanged pipe andhaving regard to the fact that the forming members are held at an angleas previously referred to, the flat surface is applied to the flangedend of the pipe at an angle, thus bending it to a greater degree. Thefinished operation is carried out by the third forming member shown inFigure 11, which is provided with an annular recess, the sur- The'the'iflanging of the pipe end is donegradually varound its peripherywithout any possible'strain.

In .the' general operation the appropriate formingmember is placed inthe head 32. The, pipe Eto be flanged is then inserted within the chuckandthe hand lever 53 is operated to cause the. :jaws to move'radiallyinwards in a quick motion under the actuation of the. high pitchedportion vofzthe .cam slots 44. .On' further movement of the lever of thelow pitched portions of the cam slots act on the jaws to firmly pressthe gripping members against the pipe, at which point the pin 5li passescentre and the grips are locked on the pipe. The hand wheel 26 is thenrotated in a clock-wise direction, quickly bringing the forming member34 into proximity with the end of the pipe to be flanged. At this pointthe hand Wheel 30 is employed which gives the power action and thusunder heavy pressure contacts the forming member withthe edge of thepipe. The portion of the forming member which contacts with the pipetherefore travels around the periphery of the pipe due to rotation ofthe spindle and the preliminary operation of flanging is completed, asillustrated in Figure 3. The second and third steps using the forminghead shown in Figures 10 and 11 are conducted in exactly the samemanner, whereupon the pipe may be readily released by the chuckmechanism. During the insertion of the pipe for flanging, the pipe gaugeis set to determine the length of pipe to be flanged. In this instancethe appropriate blade 59 isv moved radially to project in the path ofthe pipe and when the pipe is clamped the blade is returned to itsnormal position.

Having regard to the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provideda very efficient form of pipe flanging apparatus, the parts of whichwill be eflicient in operation to flange pipes without any injuriousstrain, while the various parts are arranged for speed of action as wellas application of the necessary gripping tension and pressure required.It will be obvious that the flangeforming members required are readilyremoved and inserted, owing to the simple construction employed.

Various modifications maybe made in this invention without departingfrom the spirit thereof or the scope of the claims, and therefore theexact forms shown are to be taken as illustrative onlyand not in alimiting sense, and it is desired that only such limitations shall beplaced thereon as are disclosed in the prior art or are set forth in theaccompanying claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

l 1. In a pipe flanging machine, a flange forming unit including a headand flange forming member mountable therein, said head being bored at anangle to its axis to provide a mounting cavity, a ball race tightlyfitted in said cavity and a shank on said forming member freelyinsertable within said ball race, said forming member when mounted beingdisposed with its axis at an angle to the axis of the head.

2. In aipipe flanging machine, a flange forming unit including a headand flange forming member mountable therein, said head being bored at anangle to its axis to receive the forming member, said forming memberbeing formed with a shank insertable in the bore of the head wherebysaid forming member when mounted is disposed with its axis at an angleto the axis of the head.

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3. In a pipe flanging machine, a flange forming unit including aremovable head and flange forming member mountable therein, said headbeing bored at an angle to its axis to provide a mounting cavity,bearing means positioned within said cavity, a shank formed on saidforming member removably mountable in said bearing means, said formingmember when mounted being disposed with its axis at an angle to the axisof the head.

4. In a pipe flanging machine, a flange forming unit including a headhaving a sloped outer end and a flange forming member mountable therein,

said head being bored at an angie to its axis to provide a mountingcavity, bearing means positioned within said cavity having its outerface lying flush with the sloped end of the head, said flange formingmember being freely mounted within said bearing means whereby whenmounted said forming member is disposed with its axis at an angle to theaxis of the head.

WILLIAM BARNES CROCKE'IT.

